Sooner or Later
by AmethystAngel84
Summary: Its their sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry has Ginny, Ron... Ron has Lavender, or Lavender has him however you want to look at it, and Hermione is left out in the cold after a tragic summer. That is, until the eve of the Halloween Ball.
1. The Never Ending Summer

It was an almost normal summer at the Granger household; Hermione would normally be getting ready for her sixth year classes, but she wasn't. As usual, her parents were going on about their daughter's choices in non-healthy snacks while at Hogwarts, and how they would give her cavities. But cavities were the last thing on the young witch's mind. She could still remember vividly the night at the Ministry of Magic- remember the look on Harry's face when he was told that Sirius was gone... never coming back... _dead_. That last word was so final, it just didn't seem right. Harry hadn't replied to any of Hermione's owls, though she figured he wouldn't, considering the Dursleys' hatred of all things connected to the magical world.

As it was, Hermione felt totally cut off from the magical world herself. She had not heard one peep from Ron, Harry, or anyone for that matter. Things were unusually quiet, and the summer was dragging on painfully slowly. It was just another day, only Hermione and her mother were doing some shopping in London this day. Browsing through the stores, they ran into someone that Hermione wished she would never see for the rest of her life- Draco Malfoy and his mother, Narcissa.

Hermione desperately tried to steer her mother another direction, but without much success. Almost as soon as she tried, those silver-blue eyes locked onto her, and that trademark smirk presented itself. Hermione was ready to wipe it off his face as she saw him and his mother, make their way purposely towards Hermione and her mother.

"Well, well surprised to see me, Granger?" Malfoy sneered as he took in that bushy hair, and saw her eyes. If looks could kill, he'd have been dead and buried by now, which only served to fuel his tormenting of the Mudblood and her mother.

"Nice to see you too, Malfoy." Hermione replied curtly, trying her best to not lose her temper in front of their mothers, who were staring down at the young Muggle-born witch with curiosity. "Mum... I think you remember Draco Malfoy... this is his mother, Narcissa." Hermione said, trying her best to be polite.

"Pleasure to meet you," Mrs. Granger said with a smile to Narcissa who looked to her son for an introduction.

"Mother... this is Hermione Granger and her mother, the Muggle," Malfoy replied, watching as his mother's expression went from curiosity to distaste in seconds.

"Draco come, we have better things to do than associate with _them,_" Narcissa said coldly before turning her back on the Grangers and walking away.

"See you at school, Granger," Malfoy said before he went to catch up with his mother.

"Ugh... what I wouldn't do to be able to hex them both right here and now..." Hermione said under her breath as she smiled apologetically at her mother.

Hermione's mother could see her daughter change during the summer, and it seemed as if she needed something to cheer her up. So without hesitation, she dragged her daughter off to the nearest salon, where both mother and daughter had a much needed pampering. When they stepped out of the salon, both women looked refreshed and different. Hermione's usually bushy brown hair had tamed; it was now silky and curly, some honey colored highlights had been added on a whim, and it had been trimmed to a more manageable length. Mrs. Granger smiled at how her daughter's mood seemed lighter as she had gratefully taken the shampoo and conditioner that the stylist had suggested she use to keep her hair under control, and knew that her job to help her daughter had worked.

Hermione felt better after her salon visit, about her appearance at least. So much better, that she forgot all about Malfoy and his mother until it was time to go to Diagon Alley to order some new dress robes for next year. Once in the wizarding part of London, Hermione felt much more at home and smiled as she looked at the animals in the Emporium, not paying attention where she was going. Suddenly, she walked into someone, a very solid someone.

"Oh, excuse me!" she exclaimed as she took a step backwards and tripped. She could feel herself begin to fall back, but was stopped as the person she had walked into reached out and caught her wrist.

"You should pay more attention where you're going," the person she'd walked into said, and it was when Hermione heard his voice that her blood turned to ice, she lowered her head, and tried to keep calm, it wouldn't do to lose her temper and hex him before school started. Hermione didn't need to look up to see the face of the person, the voice gave it all away. She couldn't have been more embarrassed.

"Sorry," she muttered as she pulled her hand free and walked away without even taking a good look at Malfoy. If he didn't recognize her, then it was all for the better.

Draco stared at the mysterious girl who had run into him, she was pretty and seemed remarkably familiar, even though he had only caught a fleeting glimpse of her face before she had ducked it down and walked off. Her dark brown eyes had registered shock when he had spoke, and then had suddenly gone cold. He looked after her as she ran across the street and ducked into Flourish and Blotts. "I'll be back in a moment, Mother," Draco said absently over his shoulder before weaving his way through the crowd and into the store his mystery girl had gone into. Once inside, he stood in the doorway for a few moments before spotting the curly brown and honey colored hair that belonged to the girl. Purposely, Draco made his way to the bookshelf where she was trying to reach a book that was on a shelf that was slightly too high for her.

Draco easily reached up and snatched the book for her. "You know, its rude to just run off without saying thank you when someone just saved you from smacking into hard stone," he said nonchalantly as he focused his silvery eyes on her. She was looking down at the book; plainly refusing to look at him, her hair had fallen around her face and was concealing it in shadows, but the more he looked at her the more he could've sworn he knew her.

"Sorry... Thanks," she muttered before ducking around a pile of books and deeper into the shop.

Draco looked at her curiously, normally girls were falling all over him; or at least Pansy usually was, but this one... she was actually brushing him off! Oh, it was a challenge, but he always did love a challenge. So without hesitation, Draco followed her. "Do you go to Hogwarts?" he asked, trying to figure how he knew her.

"Yes."

"Are you a Sixth year?" he asked, having to suddenly stop as a witch with a stack of books that were almost as tall as she was cut in front of him. "Watch it you hag!" he snarled as she almost knocked him over. He then proceeded to follow his mystery girl, who for a moment he had lost, but soon found her seated on the floor in a corner. She was settled behind a pile of books where no one would find her unless they were bloody determined to.

"So... as I asked, are you a Sixth year?" he asked again with a smirk as he stood over her.

"Yes, and do you make it a habit to stalk girls who bump into you on the street, or do you just care to make my day miserable?" she growled as she got up and brushed past him, leaving him confused as to what she meant. By the time he had gotten his wits about him, the mystery girl had paid for her book and was walking out the door. Draco hurried as best he could to the front of the store and outside, looking both ways for her, but she had vanished into the sea of people.

"Draco, what are you looking for?" Narcissa asked her son curiously.

"Nothing, Mother," Draco replied, knowing at least that he could find his mystery girl when he went back to school,. Who she was, would be the hard part to figure out. She hadn't told him her House, so it left about twenty or more girls for him to choose from.

Hermione let out a huge sigh as she watched Malfoy and his mother walk away from her hiding place in the alley next to Flourish and Blotts. Once she was sure that he wouldn't see her, she ducked out of the alley and went in search of her mother, glad to be leaving her tormenter behind her.

"Hermione, where were you?" Mrs. Granger asked once they got back together.

"Sorry Mum, I had to deal with something..." Hermione explained quietly.

Hermione's mom nodded, and the two of them headed back through the Leaky Cauldron and into the Muggle part of London. When they arrived at home, a particularly battered looking owl was perched on the kitchen table, waiting patiently for Hermione. Eagerly she grabbed the letter and instantly recognized Ron's messy handwriting. With a smile she opened and read the letter. She was to have her things packed and ready by six that evening, for Mr. Weasley was to be coming by Floo Powder to pick her up and bring her to The Burrow.

"Oh no!" Hermione screeched as she looked at the clock and saw that she only had an hour to pack, making both her parents and Errol jump, the latter of which promptly fell off the kitchen table with a startled "_Hoot!_" Within a matter of seconds, the disgruntled owl hopped back on the table and ruffed up his feathers haughtily before flying out of the open kitchen window, while Hermione dashed up to her room and began to hastily pack her things into her trunk.

After making sure for the third time that she had packed everything, Hermione couldn't find her ginger cat. "Mum have you seen Crookshanks!" she called down the stairs.

"He's in the garden Hermione!" her mom called back, right before Hermione heard the roar of fire that announced the arrival of Mr. Weasley.

Hastily, Hermione dragged her trunk down the stairs and dropped it in the living room, smiling at Mr. Weasley, who was dressed in dark blue robes that were covered in ashes from traveling by Floo Powder. "I'll be ready soon as I gather Crookshanks, Mr. Weasley!" Hermione said as she rushed out to the garden.

"Take your time, Hermione, I must speak with your parents for a moment," Mr. Weasley said with a chuckle as he watched the young witch dart out the door to gather her cat. "Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Granger, how are you?" Mr. Weasley asked, but before they could answer, a blood-chilling scream came from the garden.


	2. Terror In The Garden

Mr. Weasley and the Grangers rushed outside to Hermione, just in time for them to see Hermione duck behind a stone bench and miss a curse that had been thrown her way. The Death Eaters who were attacking sneered at Mr. Weasley and Hermione's parents from under their hoods and without warning, they turned on the two helpless adults.

_"Crucio!" _

"Mum, Dad RUN!" Hermione screamed, and watched in slow motion as her parents seemed to be rooted in place, only moving a second before the curses hit them. At once, their limbs bent inward upon their bodies and they fell to the ground, twitching horribly, screams of immense pain coming from their throats. At the same time, similar screams could be heard from other houses along the street. Hermione knew what would happen if that curse wasn't lifted soon, and she didn't like what she was thinking. With tears in her eyes Hermione gripped her wand tightly and stepped out from behind her hiding place.

_"Petrificus Totalus!"_

The first of the Death Eaters collapsed stiff as a board, and Hermione turned to see Mr. Weasley fighting off three other Death Eaters. The screams of her parents filled her ears as she turned and glared at a female Death Eater who was making her way towards Hermione. She ducked in time to miss getting hit by a curse and returned fire with a jinx of her own. The two of them had taken down three of the seven Death Eaters, but needed help. What Hermione didn't know was that help was already there. She hadn't realized that her parents' screams had died as had the others that had erupted from the other houses, and that someone was now standing to her left. Someone with a shocking head full of bubble-gum pink hair.

Tonks shot one look at Hermione, who was holding her own against the Death Eaters, and smiled for a second before throwing a hex at a large Death Eater who was randomly throwing curses at them. With a scream he fell over, stiff as a board.

"Tonks?" Hermione asked, praying that what had just happened was not what she thought it was.

"No, it wasn't Her- _DUCK!"_ Tonks said before shoving Hermione down just in time to miss a jet of green fire that was what she thought Tonks had just performed, the Avada Kedavra Curse. Hermione quickly rose to her feet; the look in her eyes would've scared even the most fearsome of wizards. Tears were streaming down the young witch's face, a cut ran along her left cheek, but the look of anger in Hermione's eyes was enough to even make Tonks shiver.

_"STUPEFY!" _

A jet of bright red light roared from the end of Hermione's wand and hit the Death Eater square in the chest just as three more members of the Order arrived. When the remaining Death Eaters had realized that they were now outnumbered, they decided to run. With four pops, they were gone, leaving the garden in total disarray. Tonks looked at the stunned and unconscious Death Eaters and then to the members of the Order then to Hermione, who was walking over to her parents.

"Mum... Dad?" she asked in a whisper as she knelt at their side. She looked up to Tonks and Mr. Weasley, the latter sporting two cuts on his face, and torn robes.

"We need to get them to St. Mungo's..." he replied quietly as he helped Hermione to her feet. They watched as Professor Lupin lifted her mother into his arms, and Kingsley Shacklebolt lifted her father.

"We're going to Apparate there, Arthur," Shacklebolt said, and with a approving nod from Mr. Weasley, the two of them disappeared with a similar pop as the Death Eaters had. Hermione looked from Tonks to Mr. Weasley, both of whom looked sadly back at her.

"Come on, Hermione... let's get you cleaned up," Tonks said as she put her arm around the younger witch and led her inside. After a few seconds, Aurors from the Ministry were Apparating in the house to take care of the Death Eaters that were still in the garden. Hermione sat quietly as she heard the roar of the fire that announced someone had just arrived by Floo Powder. Soon Molly Weasley was bustling into the kitchen where Hermione sat numbly with Crookshanks in her lap.

"Oh, Hermione..." Mrs. Weasley said as she enveloped Hermione in a hug, then looked at her cheek. "Here let me take care of that dear," she said kindly as she pulled out her wand and with a simple flick, the cut healed instantly.

"Thank you, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said quietly. "Any... any word on my parents?" she asked, her brown eyes hopeful.

"I'm sorry dear, not yet. I'll be taking you there once I make sure everything's alright with Arthur," she replied. With a weak smile, she went out back to where Mr. Weasley was with the others and spoke to him.

"What happened, dear?" Molly asked as she looked through the kitchen window at Hermione. who still hadn't moved.

"I'm not quite sure. I had just arrived to bring Hermione to the Burrow when she went outside to get Crookshanks, then I heard her scream. Her parents and I came out to see what was wrong when all hell broke loose," Arthur explained. "Her parents were hit with the Cruciatus Curse, along with about ten or twelve others on the street. It seemed that it was either a random Muggle attack, or they were focused on Hermione and wanted to make it look random by attacking others in the neighborhood," Molly Weasley gasped when she heard this, and covered her mouth with her hand. "Hermione saw it all..." Arthur trailed off as he shook his head.

"I'll take her to the Burrow, then to St Mungo's," Molly said as she hugged her husband quickly. She then went inside and gathered Hermione and her things for the trip by Floo Powder to the Burrow. With the command, Hermione went spinning through the bright green fire to slide out of the fireplace in her second favorite home in the world. But still, she was as hollow feeling as she was back at her own home, and now questions were running through her brain that she couldn't answer. How could it have happened to her? Why did it happen to her? But in a way, she knew her answers, she was a Muggle-born... she was a friend of Harry Potter.

"Hermione!" Ron yelled from the stairs happily before he stopped midway upon seeing her face. "What happened?" he asked suddenly, looking from her to his mom, and back to Hermione. Before anyone could respond, Harry came thundering down the stairs and plowed into him. Both boys went sprawling on the floor. In normal circumstances, it would've been absolutely hilarious, but as it was, no laughter was heard this day in the Weasley kitchen.

"Hermione?" Harry asked carefully as he untangled himself from Ron and got off the floor.

"Harry dear... she's in a bit of a shock... there was an attack at her house. Her parents are in St. Mungo's," Mrs. Weasley said quietly, her voice sounding light-years away to Hermione. Suddenly, a very handsome tawny owl flew into the kitchen and landed on the table in front of Mrs. Weasley. With shaking hands, she took the letter and read it, gasping before she crumpled it up and stuffed it into one of her robe pockets.

"Hermione, dear, we need to head to St. Mungo's, come on now," she said as she pulled the young witch towards the fireplace. How was she going to handle it when she found out her parents... her father was... was dead?


	3. Alone With The Devil

Hogwarts. It had always held its charm for Hermione Granger, she had always loved it there. But for this one time, she just wanted to go home. Her sixth year was already in progress, and she and Ron had had their usual fight, though this time it was worse than ever. Her mother was in St. Mungo's, her father was dead, Harry was too busy being Gryffindor's Quidditch Captain and falling for Ginny to notice how down she was, and so she was resorted to losing herself in her books and schoolwork. But for the first time in her memory, this did nothing to help ease the loneliness and pain she was feeling inside. When she wasn't with Harry (who was pining over Ginny), Hermione spent her time alone either in the Gryffindor Common Room, or among the stacks in the library, listening to the rustle of the book pages and the soft whispers of other students. Whispers that only increased when they saw one of the famous trio sitting alone staring out the window, looking extremely alone and sad. It had been all over the Daily Prophet that the Death Eaters had attacked her family along with ten other families on her street, and that in the end, her father had died from the strain of the Cruciatus Curse. She hadn't seen Malfoy at all so far that year, and as far as she was concerned, it was all for the better. If he did show his scowling face, she didn't intend to speak to him. She had made a silent pact to herself that she would hex him until he had an elephant's trunk for a nose and bat wings for ears instead of speaking to him.

It was one such night when Hermione was passing the time in the library when she heard the oh-so familiar (and very much unwanted) voice of one Draco Malfoy. From the sound of it, he was coming her way. Hermione quickly and quietly gathered her things and shoved them into her bag, trying hard to be out of this particular section of the library before he and his cronies managed to spot her. Her luck would not be so good this time; however, and just as she grabbed her last book with sweaty hands, it slid from her grasp and fell to the floor with an ominously and painfully loud _THUNK!_

Her new silky and semi-tame hair had fallen down around her face as she had bent to pick up the book, so all Malfoy saw was the girl from Diagon Alley he had been wondering about since that day. When Draco saw her, he smirked triumphantly- he had finally found her!

"I swear, woman, you and books. Can't you keep a hold of one for five minutes?" he said as he reached down and picked up the book, his hand brushing hers atop the book. Instantly, he felt a jolt of electricity shoot up his arm. "So am I going to have to hex you to make you stay and answer a few questions, or will you stay on your own accord?" he asked as he actually _smiled_!

"Malfoy, I swear that if you hex me, you will regret it for the rest of your days," Hermione growled as she looked up at him, fire in her eyes. It was then that he realized just why he recognized the girl that he met in Diagon Alley. She was the Mudblood- Granger!

"YOU!" he hissed, drawing his wand at the same time she did.

"Yes, _me_ you idiotic self-centered little ferret, I'm surprised you didn't figure it out before now!" Hermione spat as she glared at him. There was something in her eyes that scared him... something he'd not seen with her before. Loneliness, pain...longing, and enough anger to make a troll think twice. "Get out of my way!" she growled as she shoved her book into her bag and shoved past him, tears flowing down her face.

Draco watched her go, but he felt something… something weird. Something he'd never felt before... what was it? _Sympathy _flashed through his mind as he slowly stood; no- that couldn't be it, he couldn't feel that for the aggravating Mudblood. But he remembered how he felt when he hadn't known who she was. He had thought her pretty and intriguing.

"Draco?"

At hearing the voice that called his name from the other side of the bookshelves, Draco cringed. For weeks since he had broken up with her, Pansy Parkinson had been trying her best to corner him and talk him into getting back together. Needless to say, Draco would have nothing of it. He let a string of curses fly as he searched for a way out, and ended up ducking behind a rather large stack of books, praying that the annoying girl wouldn't see him. He was mentally berating himself for hiding from her, when she made her presence known at the table he had just stood at.

"Draco?" she called again, looking around for the platinum haired Slytherin who was currently shrinking back in the shadows. The only hint that he was there was when the light from the moon would reflect in his silvery eyes. But with him as far back in the shadows as he was, it would be impossible for her to even notice that.

With a huge sigh, Pansy left the library and Draco alone. "I have _got_ to do something about her..." Draco muttered as he left his hiding place, and was assaulted with the image of Granger's eyes before she had shoved past him.

"Well now, Draco, aren't you the popular one tonight?" the cold voice of Professor Snape came from the bookcase next to him. Draco whirled around to stare into the cold dark eyes of his Head of House.

"Evening, Professor, might I ask what you could want spying on one of your students in the shadows of the library?" Draco said just as coolly as he leaned against the table and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"I have a message from our master for you," Snape said as he pulled a piece of parchment out of his robes and handed it to Draco with a sneer on his face. "He wishes that you do something for him, that is, unless you are afraid to do it. I told him you were only a child that-"

"Oh, give it here," Draco said as he snatched the parchment from Snape, who leered in approval. Draco narrowed his eyes as he read the paper once, twice, and then three times. "I'll do it," he said as he shoved the parchment back at Snape. "When does it need to be done?"

"By the Halloween Ball, that's when he wants to attack," Snape replied, "And Draco... don't fail him," Snape added as he shifted back into the shadows and was gone. What Draco couldn't figure out though, was how he planned on carrying out what the Dark Lord wanted him to do.

"Hermione?"

"Yes, Ginny?" Hermione asked from behind the draperies on her bed. She had been hiding there since her encounter with Malfoy earlier in the library, and then the blow up she had with Ron in the common room.

"Are you okay?" Ginny asked from the other side, concern obvious in her voice.

"Fine," Hermione replied quietly as she drew the covers closer around her and rolled over, turning her back on her friend.

"Oh... okay. Well you know that if you ever want to talk, I'm here, unlike that git I call my brother," Ginny replied quietly before leaving her friend with her thoughts. Hermione curled up into a ball in her bed, hugging her knees tightly to her chest. Ever since that day at St. Mungo's, Hermione was different- quieter. It had cut deeply when she had arrived to find her mother in a coma and her father dead. Hermione choked back a sob as she remembered how her knees had given way beneath her when she saw her parents and how Mrs. Weasley hugged her tightly as the uncontrollable sobs wracked her body; how she had rocked Hermione back and forth in her arms like a child. Hermione buried her face in her pillow and muffled the sound of her tears, and only when she felt that it was safe did she pull back and grab her robe, making her way to the deserted Common Room. For a while, she just sat there, staring into the dying embers of the fire, letting the silent tears fall like rain, and wishing that things between her, Harry, and Ron were back to normal, or at least the way they should be between the friends.


	4. Midnight Excursion

Meanwhile, in another part of the castle, another student was staring into the dying embers of the fire in his common room, wondering what he was going to do. Actually, more like _how_ he was going to do it. He knew what his orders were, he knew what was expected of him, but it didn't seem right. What did he know though, what was right? It wasn't his place to question if what he was doing was right or not, he was to follow his father's legacy, and that was to become a Death Eater like all of his friends and their families. He was to take over the Malfoy estate when his father deemed him ready, and he was to become Voldemort's second most trusted servant. That was it, no questions asked, that was what he was to do in his life.

But for some reason, that idea wasn't as appealing as it once had been. Questions and doubts- both had settled into his mind since his father's arrest, after the incident at the Ministry of Magic last year. Draco had never once questioned his father; questioned what he had planned for his son. He had never once wondered if he really did deserve all those beatings he had gotten throughout his life. All he had ever wanted to do was please his father, and yet no matter how hard he tried, it seemed that he never could. Never once did he remember hearing his father (or even his mother for that matter) praise him, or give him one encouraging word. It was always, "You can do better Draco," or "You're a Malfoy! Now PROVE it!"

Draco blinked away the memories, wondering why he chose to think of this now. Why, when he had a chance to show his father, Lord Voldemort, and the entire wizarding world his worth? Why? He knew why, because he wanted something different. With a huge grunt, Draco flung the goblet he had been drinking from into the fire.

"Now, now, Draco. Temper, temper!" came from the fire that had just sparked back to life.

Draco jumped back in his chair in surprise when he heard the voice, but relaxed the instant he saw the familiar face of his Aunt Bellatrix appear within the flames. "Hello, Aunt," Draco drawled as he straightened his robe and moved into a more dignified sitting position.

"Now, what is it that has my favorite nephew so riled that he would throw such a fine goblet into the fire?" Bellatrix asked, neglecting to mention the fact that it had just missed her head by a few inches.

"Aunt... I am your _only_ nephew," Draco pointed out dryly, "What is it that you want?" he asked, tired of his aunt already, and he seriously began considering going and raiding the kitchens, as well as tormenting the house-elves for a bit of a laugh.

"I was just checking up on you, dear, making sure that you were going to- "

"Yes, I'm going to do it, Aunt, so don't worry yourself into a tizzy!" Draco snapped.

"Watch your attitude, you insolent, ungrateful little whelp!" Bellatrix hissed dangerously. "I could kill you right here and now for your insolence!"

"Yes, you very well could, Aunt, but if you did so, then you would have to answer not only to my father, but to your sister and the Dark Lord, who so wishes to come back to Hogwarts for one last eventful visit. I do not think, Aunt, that he would be pleased to learn that I had been killed for my "insolence" before that time," Draco said with a pleased smirk, knowing that he had his aunt.

"Ah, so I hear that the Mudblood we threatened over the summer lived. You will be a good boy and take care of her, won't you?" Bellatrix said with a cold smile. It was a smile that sent shivers down even Draco's spine. "I was so disappointed when I myself couldn't perform the Killing Curse on her, especially after that scene at the Ministry. If you disappoint me, Draco... you _will _pay and-"

"Now, Aunt, if you don't mind, I am going to go get a snack. Send me an owl if you wish to threaten me with murder again," Draco interrupted before pushing himself out of his chair and towards the entrance to the Slytherin dormitory. He smirked as he heard his aunt's banshee-like screeching fade behind him as he made his way towards the kitchens, not knowing that once there he would stumble upon someone other than Filch and his blasted cat.

Hermione was sitting in a rather secluded and dark part of the kitchen, sipping on a steaming cup of herbal tea that Dobby had so graciously gotten her when she had come into the kitchen and had seen just how upset she was. She hadn't been there very long when the door to the kitchen opened. Silently, Hermione scooted farther back into the shadows, praying that Filch and Mrs. Norris weren't coming for a midnight snack. She had already made up an excuse for the teacher she just knew was coming in when she saw him. That shockingly pale blond hair, those silver eyes... why on earth did the person to come into the kitchen that night have to be none other than Draco Malfoy? Was she cursed this year? Had someone hexed her so that she would have to deal with his arrogance at the worst possible times? With a soft sigh that made him jump, Hermione moved out of the shadows enough so that he could see her.

"Fancy seeing you here, Malfoy," she said quietly as she watched his face.

"Granger. Seems I can't get rid of you can I?" he replied, his voice sounding tired.

"Seems that way. Listen... just this once, I won't rat on you if you won't rat on me. Deal?" she asked as she stirred her tea and looked over the top of her cup at him.

Draco had never seen Granger look so... _weak_. Yes, that was the word, she normally was full of life, and always ready to get him in trouble. She was always ready with a quick comeback to his spiteful comments. But not this year, and he knew exactly why. The attack on her home, the death of her father, and of course, the well-known fight she'd had with the Weasel git only the second week of being back at school. Hell, everyone could see it, everyone except her high and mighty Gryffindor friends who were too busy with their romantic problems to pay attention to her. Draco shook his head; it wasn't his problem to care about if her friends were too preoccupied to notice her pain when everyone else saw it. Ever since he had met her in Diagon Alley with her new look, Draco had been questioning a lot of things lately. Things that he normally wouldn't think twice about- if he even thought about them at all. Here he was, in a prime position to torment her, and he was questioning it! Thinking... hell, he didn't even believe what he was thinking... he was actually thinking about being civil to her! If anything, it was his job to make her life worse, though how it could get worse for her he didn't know.

"Deal, Granger," he muttered instead, uncorking a bottle of butterbeer as he moved to a small table across the room from her, and was instantly showered with an array of sweets and other foods from the school house-elves. "So what's 'Miss Perfect' doing out of bed at this lovely hour on her own? Don't have Potter or the Weasel to keep you company?" he asked almost before he could think about what he was saying.

"Like it's any of your business... but I couldn't sleep. As for Harry and Ron... I couldn't very well waltz into the boys dormitory at this hour now, could I?" Hermione replied before taking another sip of tea. "What about you?" she asked out of pure curiosity.

"Same reason. Couldn't sleep." Draco replied as he took another swallow of butterbeer.

"Oh."

Draco looked over at her and shook his head. "I know you, Granger, you could've gotten Potter and Weasel if you wanted to, so why didn't you? Why aren't you with your friends? Oh wait, that's right, the Weasel git isn't talking to you, and Potter's too busy playing Captain and pining over the Weasel's sister to notice that you even exist," he said coldly as he watched his words hit home. Tears instantly sprung to her eyes and she dropped the teacup she'd been holding as she began to rush towards the door. Draco beat her there; however, and stopped her.

"Let me go!" she hissed tearfully.

"Not yet, Granger, someone's outside," Draco said quietly as he motioned for her to be quiet, and sure enough, Hermione could hear Filch's telltale shuffling and could hear him talking to his cat, Mrs. Norris.

"So, ye want a snack, eh, precious? Alright, I could stand a drink myself," Filch muttered to both students horror.

"Hermione Granger must hurry!" spoke the all too familiar voice of Dobby the house-elf as he tugged at both her robe and Malfoy's. They looked at each other and shrugged before allowing the oddly dressed creature pull them towards a narrow space of wall.

"Dobby, where-?" Hermione tried to ask before she cut herself off as she ducked under a low-hanging pot.

"A place for you to hide!' was all the house-elf said as he stepped up in front of a crack in the wall. "Here it is!" he exclaimed with a quiet squeak as he ran a long pointed finger across the crack. For a moment nothing happened, and both Malfoy and Hermione thought that the elf had lost it. Finally, the crack shimmered and the wall began to part, much like the entrance to Diagon Alley would, revealing a small room barely big enough for one person to fit in, much less two.

"Dobby, it's not big enough!" Hermione cried as Malfoy shoved past her and into the small room.

"Fine, you get caught then, Granger, I'll take what I can get!" Malfoy said with a smirk as he brushed away a few cobwebs.

"Oh, move over!" Hermione sighed and squeezed into the small space with him just as she heard Filch's voice drawing nearer. With an apologetic smile, Dobby closed the entrance to the room as Filch and Mrs. Norris came into view.

Inside the cramped space, there was barely enough room for the two students to wiggle. Hermione was painfully aware that if she were to look up at Malfoy, they would be within kissing distance. At the thought of kissing Draco Malfoy, her cheeks flared crimson, but in the darkness and with Malfoy's face being above hers, he never noticed. Her mind then wandered to the shelf that was poking her in the back. Hermione tried to move so that she was in a better position, but without much luck, only succeeding in tripping over her own feet and falling forward into Malfoy's chest.

_Oh bother!_ _This is the second time I've managed to bump into him!_ she thought as she tried to right herself without touching him any more than she had to. "Sorry..." she muttered as she looked back over her shoulder at the shelf she had been trying to avoid, and managed to somehow squeeze herself in the corner between it and the wall. She was still too close to Malfoy for her liking, but considering she didn't like the idea of being caught by Filch, she had to deal with it for now. Reluctantly she raised her face and looked at the boy- no young man- she was trapped with. Never before had she been so close to him, and never before had she noticed just how good-looking he was. No sooner than she thought that, did her cheeks flame red again and she mentally started berating herself for thinking such ridiculous thoughts. "So, how long do you think Filch will take?" she asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.

"Hopefully not long," Malfoy replied quietly, but with an edge to his voice that blatantly stated he wasn't up for conversation. "And Granger, not a word of this to _anybody_," he added as he finally looked down at her and found out for himself exactly how close they really were. In the darkness, her eyes were dark pools; pools that he could almost drown in. Almost. At this distance, he could see just how long her eyelashes were, and the way she was looking up at him was quite mesmerizing.

"What?" Hermione asked, breaking his thoughts, his very _absurd_ thoughts in his opinion. He watched as she searched his face to see what he was thinking, but the mask that he wore expertly hid the questionable things that he was thinking.

"Nothing, Granger," he snapped as he tried to back up and put some space between the two of them, but he had only shifted backwards an inch when his back hit the wall. His head slammed into the corner of a shelf, making stars dance in front of his eyes. "Bloody hell! Couldn't that blasted house-elf have found a bigger place to hide us!" he muttered as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head.

"At least he found a place!" Hermione pointed out as she hid a smirk. "Just be grateful that Filch didn't catch you. You know how it would've looked for two Prefects from rival Houses to be caught in the kitchens together after hours?" Hermione asked. "I don't care about your precious reputation, but I have enough rumors going around about me, thank you." she added coldly as she shifted her eyes to stare at the dusty shelf that she had squeezed herself next to.

"Oh, bug off, Granger," Malfoy muttered as he shifted to his other foot.

"I would, Malfoy, but it seems we're stuck in the same _small_ space, in case you haven't noticed, or that knock on the skull made you forget," Hermione retorted shooting murderous glances at him.

"Whatever, Granger," Malfoy grunted, he had not forgotten, and he did notice. Noticed a little bit more that he probably should have.

Hours later, after much bickering and an uneasy truce of sorts, the two students were still crammed into the small space, and were growing tired. Hermione's head began to bob as exhaustion began to settle in, and no sooner than her eyes would close, they would snap open and she'd shift to a slightly different position. Likewise, Draco would start to nod off even though he was standing up, and then, as if remembering his predicament, he would wake up suddenly and look to the entrance of their hiding place expectantly before letting out a sigh. Hermione leaned her head back against the wall and closed her tired eyes. "I knew I shouldn't have come down here," she muttered as sleep began to overtake her again.

"I don't think it was the wisest decision on either of our parts," Draco replied, his voice thick with exhaustion and not being used in quite some time.

The result surprised them both, and made Hermione's eyes snap open. She stared at him, as if she were looking at a totally different person. Or at least it sounded like a different person, more along the lines of a deeper version of Lucius Malfoy. It almost sounded appealing, almost to the point of a turn on. "Oh, for Merlin's sake! I've been locked in here too long!" Hermione groaned as she realized what she had just thought. _Malfoy's voice being a turn on! Someone help!_ she thought as she ran her hand over her face and tried to wipe away the sleepy feeling that was steadily growing stronger.

"For once, Granger, I think I must agree with you. I've been in here much too long." Draco muttered dryly, not realizing why Hermione had said what she did. He looked at her and saw how sleepy she was; she could barely keep her eyes open. He was having a similar problem as well. It didn't take long before her head drooped forward again, only this time it rested lightly against Malfoy's chest, much to his surprise. He wasn't sure at all what to do, wake her up and tell her to keep her filthy Mudblood head in her corner, or just let her sleep. He was too tired to start another fight, so instead he gently pushed her back in her corner, where she groaned in her sleep and he saw two tears roll down her cheeks.

"No- no, leave them alone!" Hermione cried softly before she was still again, though it was obvious she was having a nightmare about the summer.

Draco groaned and shook his head, not sure why he was doing what he was about to do. He lightly shook her awake and smirked when he saw her eyes open in uncertainty. "You were snoring," he said smugly before resting his head against a shelf and closing his eyes, knowing that if he didn't get some sort of rest, he'd be a mess the next morning for classes. That is, _if_ he got out of this blasted hole for classes. Hours passed, and when a faint morning light began to creep into the small room that the two were in, the wall that had sealed shut once they had been hidden opened for one very surprised Winky. There in front of her stood both Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger sound asleep, leaning on each other for support. Hermione's head rested perfectly just below Malfoy's chin, and his head was tilted to the side leaning against a shelf at what had to be a very uncomfortable angle; his right arm was draped lazily around Hermione's waist. Winky squeaked in surprise, which woke the two students with a start. Hermione was the first to notice that she was using someone for a pillow, and with sudden realization she remembered with whom she had gotten locked in a very small storage room of sorts with the night before. Hermione stumbled quickly out of the room and into the kitchen, almost tripping over her own feet doing so, and looked back at a still half-asleep Draco, who was rubbing his head and moaning. Without another word, Hermione rushed from the kitchens, making sure not to run into Peeves, Filch, Mrs. Norris, or any of the teachers for that matter, swearing to herself that she would forget that night... and how strange it had felt waking up with Draco Malfoy's arm around her.


End file.
